Mark Villareal shovels snow from his driveway on Hamilton near Holmes in Saginaw Friday morning, Feb. 8. A winter storm dumped more than six inches of powdery snow on Saginaw overnight. Areas north of the city received closer to a foot of new powder.Jeff Schrier | Mlive.com

MIDLAND, MI — As residents of the Great Lakes Bay Region dig out from underneath the biggest snowstorm of the winter season, a cardiologist with MidMichigan Health wants them to keep the dangers of shoveling in mind.

Michael Lauer, M.D., who practices Interventional Cardiology at the MidMichigan Physicians Group, has even put that message into a video with tips for preventing cardiac events brought on by shoveling.

"We
ask people to really caution themselves," said Lauer, who advises those clearing snow to use smaller-sized shovels and take frequent breaks.

"That also will give you a chance to kind of reassess if any
symptoms you're having are due to the cold weather or due to something more
severe happening," he said.

Those symptoms can include pain in the left arm or neck, rapid or skipped heartbeats, shortness of breath, and unusual sweating.

"Many, if not most, patients will have more subtle symptoms," said Lauer. "It
may be just a burning or heaviness in the chest. Some people just attribute
that to breathing in the cold air."

According to Lauer, risks associated with heart attack start to increase after the age of 50, and then increase again after the age of 80. Others at higher risk include those with a family history of heart disease or those with other risk factors, including obesity and smoking.

For those who start to experience cardiac-related symptoms while shoveling, Lauer wants to remind them to take the proper action.

"We encourage them to call 911, rather than driving
themselves or having family members drive them to the emergency room."